Internet Comes Together to Celebrate Stranger on His 90th Birthday

An old man’s photo was anonymously posted to an infamous internet site known for targeting people and pulling pranks. But sometimes, the hive mind falls in love.

The image of the old man warmed their withered heart. One anonymous poster was able to track down the phone number of the American Legion, where the man lives. Then they revealed the guy’s name, William Lashua. Anonymous users found his military record and declared, “We are going to throw this guy the best birthday party ever.”

Cards, gifts, flowers and balloons arrived from all over the world.

“Hey Internet,

My name is William, and I love every single one of you. All of you are cool, nice, young people who spend part of their day looking at funny pictures. You are everything good in the world. Honestly, have any of you ever mailed an old man a birthday card? I mean, it’s really nice to do a thing like that, but you all take to a whole new level. You’ve made my 90th birthday party the best ever. You are all winners who made me the happiest man alive today. Thanks for the love.”